“You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers;”

1 Thessalonians 2:10 Page 1846

At times, Paul sounds like a lawyer in this chapter. In 1 Thessalonians 2:5, Paul calls upon God as his witness. Now, he calls upon the Thessalonians and God as his witnesses in 1 Thessalonians 2:10. Paul builds his case by the testimony of eye witnesses. As a general rule, lawyers do not like asking questions in court that they did not ask before under oath, long before the witness appeared in court. In many cases, the lawyer may depose a witness before court, where the witness has to answer questions under oath. The court reporter records the answers. Then, the lawyer asks those same questions again in court, and expects the same answers. If they change, and both answers were under oath, the lawyer wants to know why. He will also use the changed testimony against the witness.

Theoretically, in court, the case should hinge upon the facts. Those facts decide if someone has done something unlawful, or not. In 1 Thessalonians 2:10, Paul focuses upon three facts: devout behavior, upright behavior, and blameless behavior. If every ministry team could call God as witness, and God would testify that the team had behaved devoutly, uprightly, and blamelessly, then every ministry team would have a perfect testimony. Well, in this context, let us examine these three descriptions of the ministry team’s behavior at Thessalonica.

Paul uses three adverbs to describe the way the team behaved. Who cares about adverbs? You should get used to adverbs because people will always use them to describe your behavior. You will hear people say, “You acted strangely,” or “You surfed radically,” or “I love you dearly.” You get the idea about adverbs describing behavior. They often end in “-ly”. Well, adverbs here matter because they describe the verb, “behaved.” Could you imagine that someone would actually be willing to testify that you acted devoutly. This word devout means acting in a manner pleasing to God, and is related to the word for “holy” in the New Testament. Holy behavior comes from God working through you and in you.

Paul then describes the team’s behavior with the term uprightly. In American criminal courts, you are not generally given a verdict of innocent, but rather not guilty. That verdict means the state failed to prove its burden that you violated a particular criminal law. You be a murderer, but the state failed to prove the elements of the crime in court. God describes this word “uprightly” as being just, correct, vindicated and acquitted. In this context, it does not only mean you were not found guilty, but actually you were declared to be correct. God knows if you committed murder, and will render a verdict consistent with your deeds. God rendered the verdict about the ministry team at Thessalonica: uprightly they behaved.

Paul finally describes the team’s behavior with the word blamelessly. No one at Thessalonica, or God the perfect judge, could lay any claim against the ministry team. They deserved no blame for anything they did at Thessalonica.

So, let us put these truths together. You should never call a witness to the stand when the testimony will blow your case to little pieces. Never expect that God will tell anything but the truth, and the whole truth about what happened. In this case, Paul confidently asserts that both the Thessalonians and God will fully back his claim that the ministry team was blessed by God to act devoutly, uprightly, and blamelessly. It took supernatural power in the lives of the ministry team to live before the Thessalonians without any problems. If we aspire to live in ministry like the ministry team sent to Thessalonica, then we will need God’s total power at work in our lives. We not only work night and day, but we also spend our time acting in complete fidelity to God’s ministry plan. Our behavior really counts, not just the message we preach with our lips.

So, we learn some more about building strong friendships in Christ.

● Strong bonds of friendship form when act devoutly, uprightly and blamelessly, and do that both individually and as a team.

● Strong bonds of friendship grow when we encourage each other to behave devoutly, uprightly, and blamelessly for the sake of our love for Jesus, and His commission to spread His message and love to all people.

● We harm our bonds of friendship when we act like we fail to act devoutly, uprightly and blamelessly. We harm ourselves, and our relationships with other believers.

Application for Today

Today, I want to live devoutly, uprightly, and blamelessly today. I know God will be witness, and I have faith He will help me achieve His goals for my life today. What testimony will God render about your behavior today?

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Welcome !

Welcome to Christ Assembly. As born-again believers, baptized by Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit, we love to glorify God through the study and application of His Word, the Bible. As we study the Bible, we seek to know God better, and to introduce others to the loving salvation of Jesus Christ received by faith alone.

We value the spiritual gifts bestowed upon every born-again Christian and seek to equip them for the work of service for Christ Jesus. Only through every saint using the spiritual gift(s) bestowed upon them will the body of Jesus Christ reach spiritual maturity and avoid being blown about by every wind of doctrine. May God have all the glory, always.
HALLELUJAH !

Spiritual Help

Eternal Life

People often ask me about how they can find spiritual peace. They tell me about their serious illness, divorce, drug addiction, alcoholism, and many other problems that grieve them. So many people share with me that they have never felt truly loved in their entire life, even though they have been married for decades, and have grandchildren. So many people feel a spiritual hunger and thirst within themselves. Jesus loves people and wants you to know all about His great love. He called it the greatest news anyone will ever hear. So, let me share with you about Jesus, Who loves you today. In Jesus, you can receive peace with God today. Jesus alone provides spiritual peace.

Romans 10:9

“Jesus asks you: ‘Why should I let you into My heaven?'”

Let me start with a question. Imagine you were to die today, and stand before Jesus Christ. Imagine further that Jesus looked at you and asked: “Why should I let you into My heaven?”
Take a moment and think about what you would say to Jesus. I have personally asked that question to hundreds and hundreds of people, if not thousands, one person at a time. Jesus always deals personally with you. He knows your name, and loves you personally. Jesus knows your good points and your bad points.

Romans 3:23

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

As God in the flesh, Jesus totally understands who we are as sinners. Sinners fall short of the glory of God. Sin separates us from spiritual peace with God today. In God’s eyes, we all fall short of the glory of God. We do not act perfectly all of the time and so fall short of His glory. We tell lies, we think impure thoughts, we do things we know we should not have done. The road to peace with God starts with understanding that we all sin and we all fall short of the glory of God. As sinners, we tend to hide our sins in darkness, but Jesus helps us recognize that we are sinners and need to come into the light of God. We take the first steps down the path of peace with God by agreeing with God that we are sinners. God helps us walk down the path of peace with God by His divine power. Only by God’s power can I change my mind and accept the truth that I am a sinner. I must repent of my sin and seek God’s forgiveness for my sin. How do I find forgiveness?

Romans 6:23

“For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Jesus, the Son of God, offers forgiveness to sinners as a gift. In order to have peace with God, we must receive God’s gift of forgiveness. Before we can grasp God’s offer of forgiveness, we must understand God’s justice and how it works. God tells us that justice imposes a penalty upon sin. God said that the wages of sin is death. Just as we earn wages for our work, so sin earns the wage of death. This spiritual death results from us sinning and falling short of the glory of God. God cannot remain just, and simply ignore our sin. Justice requires that every sin be paid by the death penalty. You have sinned so you deserve to die spiritually. Sin causes the spiritual death of the sinner. Now let us focus upon the gift of God: forgiveness. As a sinner, deserving death, I really do not deserve a gift of eternal life. Instead of death, God wants me to have eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Yet, my sin blocks me from having eternal life. To sinners God loves to give the free gift of eternal life. Although I have earned the death penalty by sinning, God offers me eternal life as a free Christmas gift. I cannot earn the gift of eternal life, and I do not deserve the gift of eternal life. God just wants me to have His gift of eternal life. God purchased the gift of eternal life, just for me, the sinner. Why would God give me gift of eternal life?

Romans 5:8

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

God gives the free gift of eternal life to sinners because God loves sinners like me. The road to peace with God means that I learn and accept that God loves sinners. Jesus came to love sinners. While I was a sinner, God loved me. So many people think that God hates sinners, but God tells us just the opposite right in this verse. I do not have to clean up my life before God will love me. God loves sinners. God gives the gift of eternal life to sinners, not to perfect people. You see, the gift of eternal life means that I believe that Jesus as God died for me on the cross. I recognize that I deserve the death penalty because I sinned, but Jesus took my place on the cross and died for all my sin. He satisfied God’s justice by paying the death penalty for me. God now offers me a free gift of eternal life, because Jesus loves sinners, and gave His life to die on the cross to pay for all my sins. Jesus demonstrated God’s love for sinners. How do I accept the free gift of God?

Romans 10:9

“that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

You accept the free gift of God by confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. We believe that God told us the truth that we fall short of the glory of God because we are sinners. Wonderfully, God loves sinners just like me. God purchased the gift of eternal life for me. I reach out by faith alone to accept the free gift from God. I believe that God sent Jesus as God in the flesh to die for me on the cross. Jesus paid the death penalty for me. Jesus satisfied the justice of God. New life in Jesus Christ begins with faith and continues for eternity. You can accept the free gift of eternal life right now, no matter where you are. Pray this prayer of faith.

Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and fall short of the glory of God.

Lord Jesus, I confess that I deserve the death penalty. I repent of my sins.

Lord Jesus, I believe that You died on the cross in my place, because You loved me and paid the death penalty for me.

Lord Jesus, I confess you as Lord of my life.

Lord Jesus, I believe that God raised You from the dead. I accept right now Your gift of forgiveness for all my sins, and thank You for saving me.

Amen.

If you prayed that prayer in faith, please send me an email through the contact box below. I look forward to getting to know you and help you walk daily with Jesus Christ. At the moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit of God comes into our lives and makes us new creations. You have an abundant life in front of you, filled with joy and peace with God. We must learn from Jesus, and He is humble and gentle with us.